Leash Laws
by auteurinconnu
Summary: Bella's an independent woman who's already found the love of her life in her Great Dane, Duke. What chance does Edward stand compared to the unswerving loyalty of man's best friend? AU, All-human. READ AND REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight. Duh.

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**Leash Laws**

Chapter 1

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It was my idea of a dream come true.

_He raised his hand to hit me, but I beat him to the punch. _

_Literally._

_With as much force as I could muster I threw a right hook and caught him on the jaw. I forced the heel of my left hand upwards and into his nose, breaking it. I listened to the sickening crunch with morbid satisfaction. He doubled over, his face contorted with pain, and I smiled. I was hardly this ruthless with my unnamed attacker, but today was different. _

_He had tried to hit me. I took another step forward to continue the beating, but my entire body began to vibrate. My forehead crumpled in confusion when I heard a voice I knew all too well calling my name._

"_Bella"_

_She shouldn't be here, I thought to myself. Again, she called my name._

"Bella," This time, she sounded impatient.

My bed was shaking violently, ripping me out of my dream and causing my pillows to vibrate beneath my left cheek. The entire bed frame was rocking with me still wrapped unceremoniously in the sheets. I wrenched my eyelids together to keep my eyes closed.

It was an earthquake of sorts.

A normal person would or could take this kind of occurrence as a sign of an impending apocalypse or something else equally dramatic. Thankfully, I'm not a normal person and have the tendency to remain unnaturally calm when facing any kind of danger. Besides, this was my apartment in the middle of downtown Chicago—an earthquake was hardly plausible. An intruder, on the other hand, was definitely a thought I should give more credit to.

As quickly as the idea entered my head, I dismissed it. I was positive that I could handle myself adequately if I really was in danger.

That, and I'm positive that my Great Dane, Duke, would have eaten any sort of threat without hesitation. Not because my life was in danger, of course, but because he was hungry and an intruder would have been convenient.

I smiled half-heartedly at the thought… then I remembered that I was still caught in the middle of a pseudo-earthquake.

I groaned.

The vibrating paused momentarily and I heard a silvery giggle and a soft bark. Obviously, Duke wasn't hungry this morning.

I mentally kicked myself for giving him the other half of the chicken I'd roasted the night before. He clearly believed that whomever emitted the giggle just a few moments ago was not a direct threat to either my safety or sanity. I disagreed.

I groaned again.

I felt a soft pressure on my right shoulder and the earthquake on my bed stopped. It took up residence in my body. I began to convulse against my will as I fought vainly to cling to sleep. I tried to roll away from the shaking but the pressure on my shoulder quickly became vice-like in its hold on me. I was vaguely aware that my body had stopped shaking.

"Get up, get up, get up!"

Alice.

"No." It wasn't as witty as I'd hoped, but it did the job.

"So it's going to be one of those mornings?" She asked, clearly amused.

The pressure on my shoulder disappeared and I rolled over to wrap myself up in the warmth of my down comforter. I smiled smugly and inhaled deeply in preparation for returning to unconsciousness.

"I don't think so." Alice quipped.

I felt a tug on my comforter so I clasped onto it to keep it wrapped tightly around me. I knew that Alice couldn't drag me out of bed even if she tried (which she had, on multiple occasions), so I kept my eyes closed and listened for her to exit my room. Instead, I heard someone else enter the room—someone larger. Duke growled lightly, but quickly stopped. I heard him chomping on a snack. Some guard dog, I mused.

"Alice, your boyfriend isn't going to get me out of bed, either." I said while keeping my eyes closed. He had tried, of course, multiple times on Alice's request. He knew the risks involved in waking me up, but whenever Alice batted her eyelashes his common sense went to shit. Regardless, he'd never been successful in getting me out of bed. The last time he tried, I knocked him out. Jasper had been in the middle of attempting to pry my fingers off of the headboard when I wrapped one of my arms around his neck and put him to sleep. It was a move I'd recently learned in one of my self-defense classes and I'd been itching to try it out. I felt bad that I had used it on Jasper, but he'd provided me with the opportunity. When he'd regained consciousness, he informed me that I wasn't allowed to come near him until I'd had at least two cups of coffee and had been awake for at least an hour.

"Who said anything about my boyfriend?" She asked coyly.

This got my attention.

Before I got the chance to think about what that implied, the mattress beneath me was lifted into the air and tipped sideways, sending me to the floor. I had managed to keep a hold of my comforter in the tumble so I didn't consider it a complete loss. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, it was yanked out of my grip and sent across the room. It was freezing and I was wearing next to nothing—covered only in an over-sized Dartmouth t-shirt and my underwear.

That did it.

My temper flared. Half-naked or not, I was not about to go down without a fight. Duke must have noticed my change in demeanor because he started growling. I spun on my heel to face whoever had dumped me on the floor of my own apartment, my self-defense instincts kicking in. But before I got the chance to get in a good punch, my feet wrapped up in my bed sheets and I went tumbling to the floor.

Booming laughter filled the room.

Emmett.

I looked up, beyond annoyed at the situation, and saw my bear of a friend doubled over in hysterics. I narrowed my eyes at him. He would pay.

"Duke," I didn't take my eyes off of Emmett. Duke growled menacingly on command, he'd always been able to sense my shifts in mood. Emmett tensed and immediately stopped laughing. Duke was instantly beside me, his monstrous form shielding me protectively. Emmett's eyes flickered between my dog and I, and I couldn't help but smile. Scaring him was almost too easy. I was still smiling when I whispered: "_Allez_"

I knew what this command meant, as I'd trained Duke well, but Emmett didn't. I merely requested that Duke incapacitate Emmett, had I wanted to cause him bodily harm I would have said "_Attaquez,_" but I had yet to clue in my overly-large friend on this minor detail. The fear on his face was evident, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Alice was choking back her own giggling. I'd attempted to use this on her, once. It failed miserably, of course. I had forgotten to factor in my dog's unabashed love for my best friend. It would have been like asking Mr. Darcy to attack Elizabeth Bennett on command.

Emmett's eyes widened with panic as Duke jumped forward and placed his paws on Emmett's chest, forcing the both of them backwards towards the ground. Emmett made a strangled squeaking noise as he fell and let out a loud "Fuck!" as his ass made contact with the hardwood floor. Duke's paws remained on his chest, effectively pinning him to the ground. Emmett looked terrified. Duke lowered his face to Emmett's and licked him from chin to cheek before barking lightly and ambling back towards me.

This time, it was my turn to laugh. I fell over sideways and held my ribcage as laughter peeled out of my mouth as I watched Emmett grumble and wipe away the slobber Duke had left on his face. He shot me a glare as he retreated from the room but I just shrugged. He deserved it.

Duke pressed his cold, wet nose to the back of my neck and I yelped in surprise, jumping to my feet. He wagged his tail in anticipation of our morning run.

"Are you serious?!" Alice half-shouted, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

"What?" I smiled down at Duke as he looked tentatively between Alice and I. It was clear he didn't know what to make of Alice's recent outburst.

"I all but torture you every morning and one kiss from _that—_" she pointed at Duke and he barked softly and looked up at me "—gets you up and moving before I can even blink?"

I planted a kiss on the top of his head before smiling at Alice. "What can I say? He holds the key to my icy heart." I placed my palm over my chest and wiped a mockingly false tear from my face. Duke pressed another "kiss" against my arm and gave a gruff bark. Alice growled, making his tail go crazy. I was fully aware of the fact that Duke had a doggie crush on my best friend, but she denied this fact vehemently. Jasper noticed it, too, and always kept a careful distance from Duke, as he'd explained, "as a precaution." I thought it was silly but Jasper swears that Duke eyes him whenever he and Alice touch. I was laughing at Alice's antics when I glanced at the clock. It was 6 a.m.

… on a Saturday.

I almost choked. My cheery demeanor vanished instantly.

"I swear to God, Alice, if you wrenched me out of bed at this ungodly hour in the morning for something as trivial as _shopping—_" I spat out the word as if it were a curse, "—I'll kick your pixie ass."

Alice sucked in a gasp. "You bite your tongue, Isabella Marie Swan!"

I was vaguely aware of the fact that in Alice's world, I had just committed the blackest of blasphemies. Given the hour, I could care less about hurting her feelings. I felt obligated to simply hurt her. I narrowed my eyes at her and she held out a cup of coffee—as if she had known what I was thinking—as a peace offering of sorts. We'd grown used to this morning routine.

"You're a doll," I said dryly.

"Don't try and butter me up now, Swan," she retorted, "I'm still considering throwing away that ratty Dartmouth t-shirt the second you leave the room." I knew she was serious.

"Touch my sweats and die."

We had reached an impasse.

Duke barked again and trotted over to the door, begging me with his eyes to follow. I sighed.

"Give me a minute, Duke, I have to get dressed first." He huffed as if to say 'hurry up' before walking out the door towards the kitchen. I walked to my closet and threw on running shorts and an oversized sweatshirt before pulling on my running shoes. I grabbed my i-pod from the top of my dresser before turning to walk out the door. I was intercepted by Alice.

"You're going out in that?" She gestured towards my attire with an incredulous look on her face.

"You can't wear stilettos on a five-mile run, Alice," I chided.

"You have ONE hour, Bella, no getting distracted today, I have an agenda to keep!" She hissed at me, knowing all too well my love for walking in the city and tendency to get lost.

"Whatever, Alice." I rolled my eyes and strode past her towards the living room.

"I'm serious, Bella!" She called after me, clearly not following me to the living room.

"Keep your grimy paws off my sweats!" I yelled back at her. I heard my dresser drawer slam shut and a string of profanities quickly followed. I laughed and turned to the three men in my life to greet them properly. Jasper, Emmett, and Duke were all lounging on the couches watching ESPN with avid interest. Duke was the first to acknowledge my presence. He hopped off the couch and took a seat by my left leg. Jasper and Emmett then turned their attention towards me.

"Catch her again, Bella?" Jasper asked, amused.

"I always do," I replied. He smiled and turned back towards the TV.

"That was a dirty trick, Bella Swan," Emmett grumbled. His ego had clearly taken a hit.

"You shouldn't have taken my comforter." I shrugged.

Emmett wasn't looking at me when he spoke next, "You, I can handle," he said seriously to Duke, "It's her that's the monster." He gestured towards me and winked. Duke barked and placed a 'kiss' on my arm. It didn't surprise me that Emmett addressed my dog, for all intensive purposes, Duke was as much of a person as any of us. He was a part of me, my friends understood that.

"I'm going running," I announced to no one in particular as Emmett turned back towards the television again.

Without taking his eyes off of the screen, Jasper replied, "Try not to make anyone cry."

I rolled my eyes again and grabbed Duke's leash from the hook by the door. He wagged his tail happily and held still as I attached him to myself before heading out.

"ONE HOUR, SWAN!" was all I heard and I was out the door.

I reached Ellis Park in about five minutes at a slow jog. Convinced that I was warmed up, I picked up my pace and pushed myself, hard. Duke was running at my left side, his breathing matching mine. It was eerie how in synch we were. I smiled down at my four-legged friend. I picked up my pace even more, hoping to help Duke burn off the extra dog-treat calories. The familiar burn in my muscles relaxed me. I finished a three mile circuit in no time and slowed my pace for an easy mile cool down.

I walked slowly to a park bench and unleashed Duke, giving him some freedom to wander. I felt eyes on me, which made me uneasy, but I wanted to give Duke some time to relax from the work-out. He walked away from me hesitantly, refusing to stray far—as if he could sense my unease. I turned towards the bench and began my stretch routine; starting with my legs, then working my way up my body until I finally reached my neck. I rolled my head around in an attempt to loosen the muscles, but the tension remained. I decided to try to rub out the kinks.

"I can help you with that," A gruff voice from behind me said. I didn't like being snuck up on. I immediately stiffened. A hundred scenarios played through in my head, and my body tensed in anticipation of an attack. After everything I'd been through, it was a natural reaction. I could feel his breath on my neck from behind me, making my hair stand up on end. My heart-rate quickened but I kept my face calm as I turned to face whoever had been addressing me. A man, who looked roughly 28, stood before me with a creepy smile on his face. His body language put me on edge.

I reached a hand forward to touch me uninvited, and I was seeing red. I went into offensive mode immediately, and tensed before making a move to incapacitate him. Before I had a chance to react, however, a blur of black and white flew past me, effectively pushing me out of the way. Duke was standing in between the man and I, and a feral, ferocious snarling was coming from his chest.

"I think you'd better leave," I spat out icily.

"Call your mutt off, lady, I just wanted—" But he didn't have a chance to finish that sentence because Duke practically roared at him. Apparently, he'd been offended by the mutt remark. I hid a smirk.

The guy backed away slowly with his hands raised in the air. He narrowed his eyes at me. "What a slut," he muttered under his breath as he turned away. I almost laughed at the remark, knowing how incredibly false that particular claim was, but Duke didn't take it so lightly. He launched himself at the creep and attached himself to the guy's arm, ripping off the sleeve and breaking the skin. The man reacted, whipping his free arm back around his body and placing a punch in Duke's ribs, causing him to whine slightly and release his hold. My vision blurred in rage. I called Duke back to my side, and stepped forward to hit the asshole.

The creep was enraged. For that matter, so was I. No one hits my dog. I could feel the situation escalating. I really didn't want to get carted down to the police station again, only to get made fun of by Emmett and his buddies, so I forced myself to take a deep breath. I took a minute to glare at him whilst willing myself calm. When I felt fractionally more at ease I opened my mouth to yell at him.

He beat me to the punch.

"I'll sue you, bitch!" Bad move. What little calm I'd self-imposed instantly vanished. He gestured to his bleeding arm and I tensed to attack, but Duke's nose touched my arm, keeping me rooted to the spot. I placed my hand on the scruff of his neck, calming myself before speaking.

"For what?!" I shrieked, "For hitting my dog, or for very nearly assaulting me in broad daylight?!" I glared at him, daring him to respond. So much for being calm. Duke growled, voicing what I couldn't.

The man's face turned red at being caught in his intentions. Without a word, he turned and stormed away. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around my best friend and cried into his fur.

"Duke are you okay?" I whispered when I pulled away. He cocked his head and whined, while keeping the man's shirt-sleeve firmly grasped in his jaws. I ran my hands down his front flanks and ribs multiple times to check for damage. He didn't flinch once at any of the varying pressures I applied, and he assured me with his big, blue eyes that he was fine. He pressed his nose to my forehead and whined after I finished checking him over.

"I'm fine," I said shakily. Duke growled lightly. "I'm fine, really." Stupid, over-protective Great Dane.

"You couldn't have held yourself together for another two minutes?" I asked him. His tail wagged happily but he looked a little guilty when I tugged at the shirt sleeve in his mouth. He whined lightly, tail still wagging. "You're forgiven, but you already knew that." I smiled down at him and placed a kiss on his head. He pressed his nose to my forehead again.

"I know, I love you, too." Duke wagged his tail.

The strange feeling that I was being watched hit me again. I stood up and looked around me for any other park-goers, but I saw no one. Duke barked at me, sending the message that he was ready to head home.

I let him take the lead as we walked back to the apartment.

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**It's a new story. I have every intention of finishing the last one, but I've got major writer's block. This is an idea I've been toying with in my head for the past month or so. I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'll try to do it regularly.**

**Let me know what you think!**

xo auteurinconnu


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, duh.

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Leash Laws

Chapter 2

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**EPOV**

My phone was ringing incessantly on the nightstand to the right of my bed yanking me prematurely out of my dream. It was vibrating—making the water glass sitting next to it tremble with ripples. I groaned and reached my hand over to pick it up. I didn't bother checking the caller I.D., figuring it was important.

"Mmm-hello?" My voice was thick with sleep and I ran my hand over my face in an attempt to wake myself up.

"Edward? You're awake?" Emmett's incredulous laughter came bursting through the other end of the line—I held the phone away from my ear. He was much too cheerful for whatever time it was. I hadn't bothered checking the clock, but it felt early.

"Why would you call me if you didn't think I was awake?" I rolled over to check the time on the digital clock on my nightstand and I nearly throttled Emmett via the telephone.

"You're much easier to wake up than—" I cut him off.

"Oh fuck, Emmett!? Six o'clock in the god-damn morning?! This had better be good or I'm having your ass on a platter."

"As flattered as I am that you want my ass…" Emmett was laughing again, fueling the fire.

"Get to the fucking point," I grumbled, pushing back the down comforter I had been comfortably dreaming in only moments ago. I knew there was no chance of me getting back to sleep now. I decided that taking a run would be my best option at this point. At least I'd be doing something decently productive before the rest of Chicago woke up.

"Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist, Eddie-boy! Who knew waking you up would be so much fun?" Emmett laughed again, then paused, "You're a lot mouthier than she is, but she puts up a better fight." I didn't know to whom he was referring, and frankly, I didn't care.

"Make your point or I'm hanging up the phone." I was definitely irritated now.

"God damn, Edward, calm down. I'm getting there. I was just messing with you. Jesus, you'd think I'd stuck a hot poker in your ass or something." He chuckled at the notion. I scowled. "Look, I know you're new in town and everything, and I wanted you to meet some of our friends here. What are you doing this afternoon?"

I went through a mental checklist of everything I had to do that day and sighed. Unfortunately, I had nothing. I really didn't want to spend the afternoon with a bunch of over-fed, under-paid civil servants, but I could hardly use my biased and somewhat arrogant opinion of some of Emmett's co-workers as an excuse.

"I heard you sigh, Eddie-boy! I'll come pick you up in a few hours."

"My name's Edward." I growled.

"Don't sass me, Eddie," I cringed again at the use of my childhood nickname. Emmett laughed, clearly entertained at his attempt at being witty, before continuing, "I'll come pick you up at noon."

And with that, he hung up the phone.

I pinched the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb, hoping that the anger would dissipate with the added pressure. It didn't. Emmett, my mentally disabled fraternity brother and best friend had called me at six o'clock in the morning to wake me up for a gathering six hours later—with people I didn't know or care to know. Hanging out with a bunch of raunchy police officers hardly qualified itself as a decently entertaining afternoon.

Emmett was a cop, and a damn good one at that. He took his job seriously and trained hard at the academy. He was promoted to detective only a year after graduation—making him the youngest on the force. But his youth didn't impede his intelligence. He good at what he did and took pride in his work; he was a valuable asset. But my experience with the police force left much to be desired. They were over-worked, unorganized, and for the most part, woefully unobservant. This made most police officers complete liabilities in my line of work. They had procedures to follow, paperwork to file, and legal processing to be finished before my job even began. Most cops found the necessary paper work for a successful case annoying, while attorneys, like me, needed that paperwork in order to do our job appropriately.

Working with cops was a pain in the ass. Now I had to do it every day.

I mentally berated myself for taking the job as I stripped out of my pajamas and threw on a pair of shorts and my favorite Harvard hoodie. I needed to run to relieve the tension I'd worked up overnight—stressing my new job and apparently horrid boss. I'd heard only rumors about this 'Swan' character, but from what I'd ascertained, this guy was a real hard ass. After being hired to the Prosecutor's office fresh out of law school (after graduating at the top of his class, of course) he worked his way through the entire system in less than a year and a half—earning himself the position of Prosecutor in an unbelievable amount of time. It was nearly unheard of in the business.

Not only was this guy hard working, but he was ruthless. He hadn't lost a single case since taking the position a few months ago. He ran a disciplined office and outworked the opposition by networking with the bureaucrats, schmoozing with politicians, and slumming with the underworld. This guy had informants, spies, and gossip mongers on every corner. There wasn't a single incident in the greater Chicago area that he didn't know about. I hated to admit it, but Swan was good at his job, better, even, than me. I was hoping to work for a year or two under him before opening up my own practice in criminal defense. That was where the big money was at, anyways. I didn't particularly care for the idea of working side by side with hardened criminals and mobsters, but they paid for their help and they paid well. After learning about how this 'Swan' guy worked, I'd be able to work around him. It was brilliant, really.

I smiled to myself at my obvious genius before heading out the door.

I took off down the street in front of my apartment building towards what looked like a park. I hadn't familiarized myself with the area yet, so I could use this run as a starting place for my developing map. The sign I passed said 'Ellis Park.'

It was a large, wooded park with lots of benches and a great view of the Lake. There were running and biking trails, a large fountain, and a small gazebo. I only saw one other runner besides myself, and he looked like he'd seen better days. I ran for about a half hour before sitting down on one of the many benches available. There was a slight breeze, and I allowed the wind from the lake to cool off my now heated skin.

Out of my peripheral vision, I watched a woman and a very large dog approach a bench. She was, by far, the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on. She glanced around nervously, as if she could feel my gaze, before reaching down and unleashing her horse of a pet. The dog walked away from her, towards me, but watched her as he ambled forward. It was a strange thing to watch. I got the distinct impression that the dog could sense the woman's unease and was therefore hesitant to leave her. I continued to watch her as her dog approached.

I felt its wet nose on my leg before I saw it, which was an accomplishment in itself given the dog's size. I was so completely mesmerized by this brown-haired beauty. She was currently bent over the bench stretching her quads—giving me a fantastic view of her toned and tight butt. I smiled at the sight. She was unbelievably sexy. I could watch her stretch all day. I felt the dog's nose on my leg again, this time it was accompanied by a gruff bark. The noise made me jump.

I looked down, or, well, over at the large black and white mammoth that had rooted itself on my right side. It was eyeing me speculatively, as if it had caught me in the act of being a peeping tom.

"Sorry," I said to the dog, smiling sheepishly. I'm sure I even blushed a little bit at my own admission. I looked over at the woman again, who was now stretching her arms and torso.

The dog cocked its head to the side and continued to watch me.

"She's beautiful," I mused aloud. This time, the dog barked lightly. It was a deep sound, but not loud. Apparently, the dog agreed. I smiled again.

"What's your name?" I asked the dog. I laughed at that. How on earth could a dog possibly be able to answer my question? It wasn't as if it could understand a word I was saying. The dog growled at me.

I reached over tentatively, afraid of losing a hand in the dog's massive jaws, and placed my hand on the scruff of its neck, looking for identification. I was hoping to find the contact information for the goddess that was stretching just a few yards away from me, but it just wasn't my day. The only tag on the dog's designer collar simply read 'Duke.'

"Duke," I said out loud. His head snapped up and his tail began to wag. I reached down to pet him again, feeling strangely at ease, when Duke sprang to his feet and took off like a bat out of hell, growling.

I was alarmed, to say the least. The change in temperament was swift and immediate. My eyes followed Duke's racing form… straight back to the beautiful woman. Towering over her petite frame was the haggard runner I'd passed earlier that morning. He looked menacing and I watched as he leaned towards her and reached out his arm. I saw her body stiffen and her fists clench, she was preparing herself to fight the jerk. Right as her arm twitched, Duke flung himself in between the two of them, taking a protective stance in front of her. He was snarling—I'd never heard a more frightening sound. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I continued to watch the scene.

I couldn't help but focus on the face of the beautiful woman. She was enraged, clearly, and spoke quickly and vehemently to the larger man. Though he wasn't intimidated by her, he clearly was afraid of the dog. The moment he had responded to her, Duke issued another feral growl from his chest. I watched as his jowls rose over his teeth, revealing them to the stranger, and the hair on his back stood on end. I felt the sudden urge to be standing there beside him, protecting this beautiful woman, but I beat that into submission—knowing even subconsciously that Duke had this situation under control.

The man raised his arms and began to back away, but I saw that he'd muttered something under his breath as he turned to go. An emotion, I think it was amusement, flashed across her face for an instant before Duke launched himself at the stranger and latched onto his arm. I watched in horror as the man brought his fist around his torso and connected with Duke's ribs. I winced in pain as I heard Duke whine slightly and release the man's arm, with the sleeve still in hand. The man was clearly outraged as he gestured towards his now bleeding arm. I was about to step through to come to the woman's aid, but she beat me to the punch.

She stepped forward and raised her arm to hit the man but then paused, closing her eyes only momentarily as she breathed through her nose. Her nostrils flared in her irritation as the stranger yelled at her, and she opened her eyes.

Oh, holy shit her eyes. I had completely missed those before now. I was too busy staring at her ass. They were a deep brown, seemingly endless and expressive. I could get lost in those eyes…

Oh, Jesus! I just hope I'd never have to look into them when they looked like _that._

To say that she was enraged would be a nearly blasphemous understatement. If looks could kill, the man standing before her would have been beaten to a pulp then dragged behind a car and driven over a cliff. I was unnerved, and I wasn't even on the receiving end.

She shrieked at the man, whose eyes widened in fear at her change in demeanor. Duke growled. The man began to back away slowly before turning on his heel and scurrying across the park. I let out a breath I'd been subconsciously holding in the stress of the situation. I watched his retreating form protectively and when he was out of sight, I allowed my eyes to trail back to the brunette.

She was on her knees with her arms wrapped around Duke, clutching to him for dear life. Whatever strength she'd used to scare away her potential attacker was gone now as her wall came down and she began to frantically check Duke over for injuries. Apparently he passed the test because she gave him a 

strained smile. Even half-hearted, the smile lit up her face. My breath caught in my throat—she was far more glorious than I could ever have imagined. Duke pressed his nose to her forehead and whined. She smiled again and spoke to him—making his tail wag happily. She tugged at the ripped sleeve Duke still held in his mouth and smiled brightly. Again, I had to check to make sure I was breathing properly. My heartbeat was erratic—but my breathing I could at least exude some sort of control over.

She stood and placed a kiss on the top of Duke's head. I shivered. She looked around her, again searching for someone, or something, but dismissed the thought at the sound of Duke's impatient bark.

I watched in awe as she sauntered sexily away, wishing that more than anything, I was in Duke's shoes.

I couldn't believe it. This woman, whoever she was, had just single-handedly made me envious of a dog.

…and now I'm going to hang out with them.

I was going to kill Emmett.

I only hoped that thoughts of the mysterious brunette would help me through my time with the guys from the force.

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**Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. School's been pretty crazy! I've decided to tell this story from both EPOV and BPOV. I think it's going to add an additional dimension to my writing that everyone will enjoy. I'm new at EPOV so please, if you have any sort of expertise on how to express him... let me know!**

**I've got the rough outline of this story completely written out, so hopefully I'll be able to update sooner from now on.**

**As always, read and review! I love hearing what you think!**

xo auteurinconnu


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, duh.

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Leash Laws

Chapter 3

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**BPOV**

I was still feeling a little shell-shocked from my morning encounter with the beefy but dim-witted brute as I walked back to my apartment building. Duke was worried about me, I could tell by the way he kept nervously glancing back at me every few feet. I was usually in a much better mood after my morning runs so I'm sure that my less-than cheerful demeanor had him a bit on edge. As we stood in the elevator, I rubbed the scruff of his neck in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. Apparently, it wasn't. Duke whined.

"I'm fine you big baby." I rolled my eyes, laughing timidly as he looked up at me with his ears perked up and his head cocked to the side. He whined again.

"Oh, stop it. I was just scared for you," I reached down and stroked the side of his muzzle lovingly, "that's all." This time, he rolled his eyes at me—pulling it off almost as well as I did. Sometimes, he acted so human it was scary. I laughed at his antics, causing his tail to wag happily. "You're all fluff and no tough, Duke." He growled playfully as I gave him a light shove, his tail still wagging merrily behind him. I kissed the top of his head and pulled out my keys to my apartment to open the door.

"You're late!" Alice screeched, pointing towards the designer watch on his pale wrist.

I glanced at the clock on the wall and rolled my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.

"By three minutes," I looked back at the clock and mentally calculated, "and forty six, now forty seven seconds… Get a grip, Alice." I chuckled as I unclipped Duke's leash and he padded happily over to Alice, expecting some sort of greeting and maybe a snack.

"Get a grip?! Get a grip, she says?" Alice's arms thrashed wildly over her head as her rant continued. "Are you listening to this, Jasper?!" Jasper merely laughed in response to his girlfriend's antics—earning him a glare. He shrugged and turned his attention back to ESPN. Duke, sensing no happy good-morning from his doggie-crush, huffed lightly and joined Jasper on the couch.

"Easy Killer, the clothes can wait," I mumbled as I walked towards the living room. Duke's head snapped up at the sound of my voice but he stayed put—staying out of the way of Alice's shopping-induced rage. His tail thumped happily against Jasper, much to Jasper's chagrin. I laughed at the sight before walking away from the living room and towards the bathroom.

"Are you _insane_?!" was the last thing I heard before shutting the bathroom door. The screeching was still there, accompanied by an occasionally excited bark, but the words were drowned out. I'd never been more thankful for thick walls.

I turned on the shower and stripped out of my sweaty running clothes; this morning's events playing over and over in my mind. I cringed at the memory of seeing Duke getting hit, I'd rather it was me than him. It had happened to me before, so I knew that I could take it. I knew that he was just trying to protect me, but I didn't like that Duke had jumped in between the danger and myself, it made me nervous. I don't know what I would do without him.

The bathroom was steamy by the time I stepped under the showerhead. The stress of my week washed away with my favorite body wash. The tension in my shoulders and back was miraculously released under the flow of the hot water. I lathered my hair with my favorite strawberry-scented shampoo, rinsing away my fears from this morning away along with the fragrant suds. I was halfway through shaving my legs when there was pounding at the door, making me jump and nick my leg with my razor.

"Mother-fu—"

"Get out now, Swan!" Alice barked authoritatively, "I don't have all day! We have places to go!"

"God-damnit, Alice!" I shrieked. An angry red stream flowed down my leg from where I'd cut myself. I swore under my breath as I held my injured appendage under the streaming water to rise the wound clean. I heard Duke growl lightly on the other side of the door in response to my anger. Apparently, he had followed his doggie-crush in her tirade against my sanity. I knew that because of his affections for Alice he'd never actually attack her. But at this particular moment, I wished he would.

Stupid, love-sick dog.

"Oh pipe down, Duke," I heard Alice admonish him, "This is in _her_ best interest!"

"Is not! Sick her, Duke!" I shouted in response. I heard Duke chomp on something. "That's it, I'm hiding the doggie treats _way_ better next time." I growled. Apparently, my underwear drawer isn't security enough. So much for a reasonable expectation of privacy in my own damn apartment…

The bathroom door opened.

"You've got thirty seconds before I flush the toilet, Swan! You're getting pruny."

Knowing that Alice was more than likely to do what she'd threatened, I quickly finished shaving my legs and stepped out of the shower and into a warm, fluffly towel. I padded into my bedroom in search of clothing. Alice had set out my clothing for the day, as usual, along with some lacy lingerie. I stared at the barely-there undergarments in disbelief.

"They aren't going to put themselves on, you know." Alice had appeared in my doorway and was leaning casually against the door frame looking rather smug. I shot her as nasty a glare as I could muster and headed to my underwear drawer to find something more acceptable. I was an attorney, not a stripper. I needed practical panties, not _those._

Right as I reached my dresser, Alice said, "Stop right there, Swan." I froze, anticipating a showdown. I looked at her, smirking, daring her to take me on. She knew she'd never beat me. This time, it was my turn to look smug.

"What are you going to do about it, Pixie?" I was gloating. This battle was already won.

"Nothing I haven't done already," She replied. Her smile grew more pronounced.

Ok, I wasn't expecting that.

I turned to face my dresser, accepting her challenge.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Alice called, smiling even wider than before.

"And why the hell not?" I quipped, somewhat annoyed. I was still in my towel and I was starting to get cold. I turned to open my dresser again. Her voice cut me off.

"Because it's empty. I cleaned it out while you were running." She giggled.

I whipped around the face her. "You _what?!" _

"Now you have to go shopping!" She clapped her hands together happily and bounced up and down. She was incredibly pleased with herself.

"Are you insane?!" I shrieked. I wanted to smack her, but I knew that in the end she'd get her way, so fighting with her would prove to be useless. She shrugged and skipped away.

"MARY ALICE BRANDON YOU GET YOUR PIXIE ASS BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" I howled. Duke, who was laying lazily in the corner on his enormous doggie-bed opened one eye. He was used to this kind of interaction between Alice and I. Alice, who was now down the hall laughed at my hollering.

"You've got ten minutes to change, Bella!" Her silvery voice floated down the hall. I turned to face the clothing again and grimaced. Lingerie. I hadn't worn it in years. Not since… _Damnit, Bella, not now. _I drove the thought mercilessly from my mind. I had no need to invest in pricey lingerie. The only man in my life was Duke, and he was a handful as it was, nor did he care about what kind of underwear I was wearing. I slipped the light silk fabric on and was surprised at how comfortable it felt. From how it looked, I was anticipating chafing galore, but the deep blue fabric was soft against my pale ivory skin.

I tentatively held up my outfit for the day. A dress.

_Oh for the love of God…_

I grumbled as I threw on the cream and brown patterned dress. It was a softer silky material, meaning it was most likely expensive, but I chose not to complain. Arguing with Alice over the price of a garment was beyond useless—she'd buy it anyway. The new bra I was wearing caused my cleavage to make a bit of an appearance, so I decided to throw on a bright yellow cardigan to make the dress a bit more demure. I grabbed a cream silk scarf in case it was cold and made my way to the kitchen to grab some coffee.

Alice intercepted me by the island in my kitchen, smiling and holding up a pair of dark brown heels—a perfect match to the brown in my dress, no doubt.

"Oh, hell no, Alice!" I walked directly past her to the coffee maker and poured myself a cup. Duke, smelling the coffee, came bounding into the kitchen looking for his breakfast. I scooped some kibble from the jar on the counter and placed it in his elevated doggie dish.

"But Bella, you've got great legs! These will only make them look better!"

"There is no way in hell that I'm wearing those shoes, Alice. I'll die." I shuddered at the thought of having to wear four-inch heels to walk around all day in. That was like asking for a trip to the emergency room.

"Oh please, don't be such a drama queen." Alice rolled her eyes and held the shoes out towards me. I moved away from her. "You can kick anyone's ass and you're afraid of a stupid pair of shoes." She gestured towards the shoes in her hands as she spoke. I gasped.

"Oh my god, Alice!" Her eyes widened in shock.

"What? What happened?!" She dropped the shoes and whipped her head from side to side in search of whatever it was that had caused the commotion.

"You just called shoes stupid!" I burst out laughing and a fork went flying past my head. Alice glared at me and mumbled something along the lines of 'back-stabbing attorney' or 'piece of shit' but I was far too amused to care. She turned on her heel and stalked towards my bedroom in what I assumed was a search for another pair of shoes. I quickly downed my coffee and toast and joined Jasper and Duke in the living room. Alice emerged from my bedroom a few moments later with an acceptable pair of dark brown flats and my purse. She growled, signifying it was time to go.

Jasper was the first out of his seat, kissing Alice on the nose before nodding goodbye to me and heading out the door. Duke followed suit, pressing a kiss on Alice's arm then tromping over to me.

"Try not to eat the mailman when he drops off the mail, Duke. I have important documents coming today and I'd hate for you to get any blood on them." He huffed lightly and looked at me, begging me with his eyes to stay.

"I know, I'll miss you, too." I placed a kiss on his nose, "But don't worry, Alice and I will be back _in a few hours_," I emphasized the hours, imploring her to shorten her shopping spree not for my sake, but for Duke's. She rolled her eyes at me and pointed at her watch while glaring at me. She hadn't forgiven me for my shoe remark. He whined lightly. I whispered in his ear: "I'm scared, too." Then laughed. I placed another kiss on the top of his head and walked past Alice and out the door.

Four hours, two malls, and more boutiques than I care to know later, I was exhausted and my closet was fully re-stocked. I didn't even want to know the amount of money that Alice spent on me, I was afraid it would make me nauseous. I was halfway to the elevator when my phone rang.

"Bella, get down to the station now. We've got a major lead on the Gino case." Emmett said through the phone. My heart skipped a few beats—James Gino was a mobster in every sense of the word. He had his hand in almost every pocket in downtown Chicago, and he was good at being a monster. The only problem was there were never any loose ends. No one was willing to speak out against him, he ruined lives and murdered at the drop of a hat—thus ensuring that there were never any witnesses. I'd been gathering trivial evidence against him for the entire year that I'd been Prosecutor, and I was jumping the bit at an opportunity to bring him in for questioning.

"Don't say a word to anyone, Emmett. I don't want anyone finding out about this. I'll be at the station in ten minutes."

"You got it, Swan."

"Emmett," I responded tersely, "I mean it. I don't care what kinds of things are thrown at you. Do not take your eyes off of this for a second."

"Oh, I don't think that's going to be an issue." I could hear him smiling through the phone.

"Thanks so much for the call, Em, I'm in my car now."

"No problem, Bella. I knew you'd want to be clued in."

Emmett was my informant at the police station. He was the youngest detective on the force, and one of my best friends. He made sure that I was involved in every single one of the police proceedings in the greater Chicago area. He always called me the moment anything came across his desk that could potentially involve the prosecutor's office. I spent a majority of my free time at the station, mulling over files and cold-cases hoping for some kind, any kind of break. I pushed myself hard, and I worked all the time. The better I was at my job, the more men I put behind bars. I made a lot of enemies with my work ethic and efficiency, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I did any less. I had an obligation to fulfill to myself, and to those like me. I wasn't about to be the one to drop the ball.

I bit my lip as I pulled into the lot at the police station in between Emmett's massive jeep and a silver car I'd never seen before. _This could be it_, I thought to myself, _This could be what I was waiting for._ I'd kill to get Gino put behind bars. The string of assault, murder, and blackmail associated with him was more than enough motivation for anyone to see that he was a dirty bastard, but it was his lesser-known affiliations that made my blood boil. His history of domestic violence made me sick to my stomach. I had the hospital files of every single one of his "women," as he liked to call them, that I could get my hands on, but none of them would talk. They were beaten and threatened and therefore blatantly refused to press charges against him. I owed it to them, and to myself, to get Gino off the streets and in a federal penitentiary.

I crossed the parking lot at a jog and burst through the doors of the main floor. I took a quick right out of the foyer and into the detective's unit. I scanned the room for Emmett but he wasn't there. I asked the secretary, Jessica, if she had seen him and she informed me to wait until Emmett came to retrieve me.

I was pacing in front of Emmett's office when I got the feeling that someone was watching me, again. It was the same feeling from this morning, only intensified. I looked around me again, but everything looked like 'business as usual.' That was, until I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist.

"You look hot, Swan" said a breathy voice from behind me. I felt a man's hot breath on my neck, sending shivers down my spine—but not in a good way. I stiffened immediately.

Mike.

Mike Newton was a detective in Emmett's unit, and was an incorrigible idiot. He'd asked me out an indecent amount of times and I'd turned him down as kindly as possible every time. He'd grown increasingly forward with each attempt, but this was crossing the line. He'd attempted to touch me before, and I'd managed to weasel my way out of it. He clearly didn't get the hint. I decided to take things into my own hands, literally. But not before I toyed with him. I smirked slightly.

"Oh, Mike," I purred in an attempt to be sexy. I could tell I was failing miserably but I hoped he would take the bait. Mike stiffened and loosened his grip slightly. Perfect.

"I, uh, Bella… I mean I knew you liked me but, uh…" He was stammering in an attempt to handle my new-found self-assuredness. My smirk became a full blown smile.

Faster than he could formulate a coherent thought I spun in his arms, latching my hand on his right wrist as I twirled. I side-stepped out of his embrace and wrenched his right arm behind his back, yanking his elbow backwards and shooting his shoulder forwards—making him howl in pain. I gave his lower back a shove and pushed him into the wall in front of him, mixing his facial features with the graying stucco and causing him to give another yelp in pain. I kicked his feet apart and shot my hand between them, grabbing ahold of his manhood and squeezing slightly. Mike took a gasp of air and whimpered.

"Mike, I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, Do. Not. Touch. Me." I squeezed what I was holding with a bit more pressure and Mike squeaked slightly. I turned to look behind me—the entire office was now watching the scene unfold in fascination. I'd never unleashed my self-defense skills in front of them before now. I blushed furiously at having all of the attention on me, causing my grip to slacken momentarily. Mike vainly attempted to wriggle himself out of my grasp, but I was too fast. I released my hold on his boys and moved my arm to the back of his neck, causing his head to hit the wall with a bit more force than before.

"I was forced out of bed at six o'clock this morning, was hit on by yet another greasy member of your species not more than forty minutes later, had my underwear stolen from me, and have been forcibly dragged through every mall, shop, and boutique in the greater Chicago area in the span of less than four hours. Trust me, Newton. Don't mess with me." I leaned forward and placed my mouth next to his ear, "If you ever lay a finger on me again, I will gladly remove from your body what it is that makes you a man. Do you understand me?" Mike blanched and nodded feebly. I smiled. "Good, then we've reached an understanding." I released Mike and he stumbled as he scurried away.

"I'm pretty sure Jasper told you not to make anyone cry today." A deep voice called across the office.

Emmett. My smile grew more pronounced.

"I would think that sexual assault serves as some sort of an exception to that particular instruction, don't you?" Emmett's laughter boomed out of his chest.

"The only one who was assaulted was Mike." Emmett winked at me. I laughed.

"Oh, please. I hardly touched the guy. It's not my fault he wasn't adequately trained in hand-to-hand combat." I teased.

"Bella, you and I both know that no amount of training could have prepared him for _that_. He didn't stand a chance!"

I shrugged and Emmett shook his head, laughing.

"Now about that major lead…" I inquired.

"What? Oh, right." Emmett blushed. I raised an eyebrow. I'd never seen Emmett blush before. "Follow me." Emmett turned and lead me back towards the holding cells and interrogation rooms. He took me to the interrogation room at the back of the station. Quil Ateara, another one of my friends on the force, was standing guard at the door. He stepped aside when he saw me approach.

"Bella," he nodded in my direction.

"Quil," I replied. Quil took the keys to the room from his belt and unlocked the door for me, opening in and gesturing for Emmett and I to step inside. I followed Emmett through the doorframe and gasped when I saw the state of the individual sitting in the chair.

"Bella, this," Emmett gestured towards the woman sitting stoically at the table in front of me, "Is Rosalie Hale."

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**I know, I know... it's a bit of a cliff-hanger, and we still have EPOV before you can find out what happens! Don't worry, though. Edward and Bella will be meeting soon... **

**Please, please, let me know what you think.**

**Oh, and I'm looking for a beta... anyone interested?**

**As always, read and review!**

xo auteurinconnu


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, duh.

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**Leash Laws**

Chapter 4

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**EPOV**

The beautiful brunette's sexy sashay as she left the park occupied my conscious thoughts all the way through my post-run shower. Try as I might, I couldn't get het expressive brown eyes out of my head. It was eating at me that I didn't even know her name. I did, however, make acquaintances with her strangely intuitive mammoth of a dog. I figured that, if anything, was a starting place. As I toweled myself dry I vowed to myself that I would run every day in Ellis Park until I saw her again. I simply _had_ to know who she was.

I mulled over everything that I'd seen that morning while I read the headlines of the Chicago Sun Times. This woman had an intensity about her that I'd never encountered before. It unnerved me how protective I felt about her without having even met her, and I couldn't suppress the strange unease I felt at being separated from her—what the hell was happening to me? I threw down the paper being completely unable to focus on the words on the page and ran my hand through my messy hair, a habit I'd developed in undergrad in response to any kind of stress. Why the hell was I stressing, anyways?

I groaned and put my face in my hands. Fucking women.

My frustration and avid fascination with the mystery girl only seemed to increase as my morning passed. So much so that I found myself pacing in my living room. I stopped abruptly when I realized what I was doing to myself. Usually I would channel whatever frustrations I had into my music, playing them out on my piano. But it hadn't yet arrived from Chicago and I was left empty-handed and feeling completely marooned in my angst. I decided to preoccupy myself by organizing my massive music collection, blaring DeBussy from my new stereo as I carefully placed each CD in a specific location on my wall-spanning shelf. I quickly found myself lost in the task, which was a surprisingly sufficient therapy in my piano's absence. I was so focused on what I was doing that I nearly jumped out of my skin when my cell phone vibrated angrily against my left calf.

"HELLO?" I attempted to yell over the blaring symphony, but failed, so I reached over to turn it off.

"EDWARD?!" Emmett's voice came crashing through the receiver just as silence filled my apartment and I winced and held the phone away from my ear. I was slightly afraid of the fact that I might have just sustained significant hearing damage.

"Jesus, Emmett!" I switched my phone to the other ear and began to poke at the injured ear in an attempt to stimulate any sort of sound reception, " I'm here. What's up?"

"Get your pretty-boy ass down here to the station, there's some guys you need to meet!" Emmett laughed loudly into the phone.

I groaned loudly. I had no intention of spending even more time with Emmett's half-brained co-workers, I thought the cookout I was attending this evening would be more than enough torture for an evening.

"Do I have to?" I whined.

"What are you, four?" Typical.

"Very mature, Emmett." I growled. My mood was growing darker by the second.

"I could say the same for you, Eddie-boy!" Emmett chuckled and I heard the rustling of paper. He was probably already downtown.

"Can't I just wait to meet them in a few hours? I mean, I'll be seeing them this afternoon, right? Why prolong my suffering?" I was whining again, but I didn't care.

"Edward, you are such a drama queen. You're meeting some of my _friends_, Edward, not co-workers." I could tell his patience with my arrogance was wearing thin. He sighed into the phone, "We'll only be here at the station for an hour, and then I'll drive you over to Alice's place so you can meet the gang. I just wanted you to come in to meet some of the guys—you know, the people you'll be working with in just a few days? Or did your new job slip your mind? I thought you were supposed to be smarter than me, Ivy-leaguer." Emmett's booming laughter filled the room I was sitting in, notifying me that I was forgiven for being a complete ass.

Jesus, he was loud.

I was embarrassed at my behavior, and glad that Emmett had called me out on it. I could always count on him to be honest.

"I'll be there in five. Try not to break any furniture between now and then." I smirked into the phone.

"You break one chair at a frat party…" Emmett muttered as I hung up the phone. I chuckled a bit at the memory. Emmett, being ridiculously intoxicated, tried to jump into an open chair. Being as massive as he was, the chair splintered and he found himself on his ass in a pile of woodchips.

My reminiscing carried me to the parking garage, where I easily slid into my new Volvo and turned onto the street and sped towards the station. I arrived in less than three minutes. I stepped out of my car and hurried into the metropolitan police building. I climbed two flights of stairs and made my way to the always-busy main floor. I hadn't ever been here before so I stopped at what looked like a secretary's desk to ask for some directional help.

"Excuse me, miss?" I inquired politely.

A curly-haired brunette looked up at me, her eyes going wide at my appearance. She appeared to be flustered but pulled herself together after a second or two.

"Can I help you?" She asked sweetly, though her tone made me somewhat nauseous.

"I'm looking for Detective McCarty, could you point me towards his office?" I smiled at her, knowing it would help my cause.

"S-sure," she stammered. It had worked, "He's down the hall to your right," She said, pointing towards an open hallway, "third door on your left." She smiled at me again, and I returned the gesture.

"Thanks."

"If you need _anything_ else, just let me know." Her voice was thick with implications and she batted her eye-lashes at me. I fought back the bile building in my throat. Didn't these women know what class was?

I turned quickly and headed towards Emmett's office, hearing him before I could see him. I was surprised that the force hadn't soundproofed his office yet. I knocked lightly on the door before entering, knowing that he couldn't hear me.

Emmett was sitting behind a large desk chatting animatedly with someone on the phone. I could tell that they were discussing one of the many large cases Emmett handled, so I politely turned my attentions away from the conversation. I studied the pictures he had hanging on his wall while he finished his conversation. There was a picture of him and I from our graduation from undergrad, a picture of his parents, and a picture of Emmett with two other people, a man and a woman, who looked like they were glowing, and sitting beside them was the large dog I'd encountered this morning. I couldn't believe my eyes. What was the dog's name again? Duke. Duke was sitting besides the short, pixie-like female with his mouth open and tongue hanging lazily out, like he was smiling at the camera.

How in the hell does Emmett know Duke?

Oh. _Oh. _

Emmett knows her. Emmett knows _her_.

I spun on my heel to face him just as he hung up the phone.

"Who is she?" I demanded hastily, pointing at the picture.

"Oh, that? That's Alice. The guy to her left is her boyfriend Jasper." He said, looking at the picture at which I was pointing.

"No, not her," I dismissed the dark-haired girl quickly, anxious to find out the identity of the girl who had so easily captured my attention, "_her_," I said, pointing to the dog.

"Uh, that's Duke. And he's definitely _not_ a girl." Emmett shook his head and chuckled.

"No, not the dog, you idiot. Who is the dog's owner?!" I half-yelled. I definitely needed to calm down. I didn't think that last sentence was even coherent.

"Who is who?" Nope, definitely not coherent.

Emmett scratched the back of his head and looked at me, confused. I was agitated that he hadn't answered my question in a manner I felt was acceptable, but I couldn't let my impatience get the best of me. Emmett stood and walked out into the hallway. I followed him.

"Who is Duke's owner, Emmett?" I repeated my question, slowly this time, hoping to at least get her name.

Emmett opened his mouth to respond but was cut off when the door to the main floor burst open, smacking against the wall with such force that some of the drywall fell to the floor in a powdery mess. The entire room went silent as all eyes fell upon whoever it was that had caused the commotion.

I heard Emmett suck in a gasp of air.

There, standing in the doorway, was a leggy blonde with a body that rivaled most supermodels. This woman was wearing a skin tight red satin dress with a short skirt and low neckline. It left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It was clear that she was beautiful, almost inhumanly so, but that wasn't what was so shocking.

One of her heels was broken, and her entire body was covered in bruises and bloodied cuts, some of which were still openly bleeding. Her dress was torn in multiple places, putting on display some of the lacey lingerie she was wearing underneath it. One of her wrists was sitting at an awkward angle, and a few of her fingers were in the same position. Her ankle was swollen beneath the straps of her stiletto, it was clear that walking in them was causing her pain. I slowly brought my eyes to her face, which was in the same, if not worse shape, than the rest of her body. One of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, with the outlines of a black-eye already forming. Her lip was split in three places, and blood was dripping down her face from a cut in her left eyebrow. What was most frightening, beneath the bloodied exterior, were her eyes. They were on fire, though I couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger, and she was trembling violently in succession with the ferocity in her eyes.

The entire room stood in complete silence by the time I'd finished my assessment. Her eyes flickered from person to person, settling finally on the curly-haired brunette sitting at the desk directly in front of her.

"I want Swan." The blonde's voice was low and venomous, but the secretary didn't move. She simply gaped at the bruised and battered woman that stood in front of her. The blonde narrowed her eyes at the woman.

"Are you deaf, or are you really just as stupid as you look?" She spat mercilessly, "I said, I want Swan." Her voice was still dangerously low, but the secretary still didn't move. She was beginning to shake under the blonde's judgmental gaze.

The blonde took a step forward and slammed her good hand down on the desk. "NOW, DAMNIT!" She roared. The secretary squeaked and nearly fell out of her chair and began clumsily trying to punch the correct numbers into the phone. A dirty-blonde haired officer attempted to approach her with his hand held out to touch her shoulder. Clearly, this idiot couldn't read body language. When he got within two feet of her, she wheeled around to face him, fury lighting every single one of her features.

"Stay away from me." She barely breathed out the sentence, but it was clear the officer got the message. He backed away slowly and then turned on his heel down an empty hallway, retreating in what looked like a bathroom. If I were a betting man, I'd say he was off to have a good cry.

The blonde attempted to compose herself, but it was clear that she was visibly shaken. She tried to inconspicuously wipe a tear from her eye, but I caught it. Emmett and I exchanged a loaded glance, and I knew that he had caught it, too.

This time, Emmett decided to intervene. He took a few hesitant steps towards the blonde, and she shot him a glare, stopping him in his tracks. He held his hands up in the air, signaling his surrender, and continued forward slowly. He shrugged out of his sport coat, which he was wearing over a plain white t-shirt and jeans, and held it out towards her. She looked from him to the jacket multiple times and rubbed her bare arm self-consciously. It was as if she'd just become aware of the fact that she was wearing next to nothing. Emmett held it out to her, to help her into it, but she snatched it out of his hands before he took another step. He immediately froze, never taking his eyes off of the woman as she hastily put it on, wincing as she pulled it over her broken fingers and wrist. This did not go unnoticed by Emmett, who clenched his jaw and squeezed his fists out of anger towards whoever had laid a finger on the woman standing in front of him.

When she finally turned her attention back to Emmett, he opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"I want to talk to Swan." She said, but her voice was much less firm than it was before, and there was not a trace of anger in her voice. It seemed as though her fear was getting the best of her. Emmett nodded and pulled out his cell phone, most likely to dial Swan. The conversation was quick and hushed, though I did notice Emmett smile once or twice through the conversation. I wondered what kind of a relationship he had with my new boss as he hung up the phone.

"Twenty minutes," was all that he said when he had put his phone back in its place on his belt. The blonde nodded, still shaking.

Emmett held out his hand in front of him. "Emmett McCarty." He'd dropped the title of detective in his impromptu introduction, though I couldn't figure out why.

The blonde eyed him suspiciously, but her face had softened tremendously. She looked exhausted and terrified. All traces of anger were long since gone. "I want to talk to Swan," She whispered, her voice breaking. Emmett's hand remained in front of her, and he waited patiently for her to reciprocate. Her apprehension was apparent. I was about to step in on her behalf when she raised her broken wrist to shake Emmett's hand. He looked at her injured wrist and took another step forward, closing the gap between them. He reached forward with his extended hand to take a closer look at her wrist. She took a step backwards. Emmett froze, locking eyes with her, and took another slow step forward. This time, the blonde didn't move, but left her injured arm raised, never taking her eyes away from him.

"Emmett McCarty," he said again, gingerly taking her wrist in between his massive hands, treating it as if it was glass.

"Rosalie Hale" she whispered with tear-filled eyes, "And I want to t-talk t-to S-S-Swan." Her composure and posture collapsed simultaneously, and she fell into Emmett's arms, sobbing hysterically. He lifted her off her feet and carried her down a hallway begging me with his eyes to follow. Rosalie continued to cry into his shoulder as Emmett took a seat in a chair in the last room at the end of the hall. He stroked her hair soothingly and turned towards me, speaking softly.

"Edward, find Quil and tell him to come back here. I need someone to stand guard of this door that I know is on the inside." I nodded, though I didn't understand his cryptic instructions. "Once you've done that, call Dr. Carlisle Cullen down at the hospital. Tell him we've got another one and that he should come fully prepared, she's the worst I've ever seen of them." Again, I nodded. I placed my hand on his free shoulder in as comforting a manner as possible before quietly slipping out the door.

I went to the secretary's desk and asked for Quil's location as well as the number for the doctor Emmett had requested. The doctor was kind, and said that he'd get to the station in about a half hour. I found Quil and sent the message along with him Emmett. I decided to take a seat in one of the empty chairs and wait for the doctor so that I could escort him back to where Emmett and Rosalie were.

I found myself daydreaming yet again about the mysterious brunette. I didn't have the heart to be annoyed at Emmett for not being able to answer my inquiries about her, but I was even more frustrated than before. I was so close to having the information that I wanted…

BANG!

The door swung open again, interrupting me from my thoughts. A whirlwind of brown, cream, and yellow flew through the foyer and straight over to the secretary's desk. I froze. It was _her._ Her brow was furrowed as if deep in thought as she sauntered sexily over to where the curly-haired woman sat. My body reacted automatically and I shifted uncomfortably as I watched her. Her long brown hair was curled and fell casually down her back around her shoulders. Her dress wasn't low cut, but gave me a decent view of her chest as she bent forward to speak with the secretary. I shook my head to get rid of the thought—I was trying to be a gentleman. Which was difficult considering she was easily the most beautiful creature I'd ever laid my eyes on. My memory of this morning simply didn't do her justice. I continued to watch her in fascination and awe.

She briefly questioned the secretary, whose name I discovered through my eavesdropping was Jessica, and went to pacing wildly in front of Emmett's office door with tensed shoulders and wringing her hands. She was beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Again, as if sensing my gaze, she paused, and looked up from the floor and searched the office with her eyes. Before her eyes scanned where I was currently sitting, the dirty-blonde haired idiot of whom ran cowering from Rosalie wrapped his arms around her waist. She stiffened in his arms, as if exceedingly uncomfortable, but then smiled happily.

My heart plummeted. Of course someone like her would already be taken. By an ignorant fool, but taken none-the less. I felt slightly nauseated as I watched her purr into his ear. The officer's eyes widened and he took a tiny step backwards, as if caught off guard. The brunette's smile broadened.

I couldn't understand what was going on.

All of a sudden, my mystery woman whipped herself around in the dirty-blonde's arms and wrenched his wrist up behind his back, forcefully pushing him into the wall. She kicked his legs apart and reached between his legs and grabbed a hold of—

_Mother of God! That should be illegal!_

I flinched subconsciously at whatever she was currently doing to the police officer who had so clearly offended her. She was hissing something in his ear fiercely, her emotions clearly expressed in her eyes. She was angry, to say the least. Although livid might be a more appropriate term. She stiffened suddenly and turned around. When she saw that the entire office was watching her display, she blushed furiously, as if embarrassed at being caught. She apparently didn't like the attention.

The dirty-blonde wriggled under her firm grasp, calling her attention back towards him. She slammed him forcefully against the wall with her forearm and began to hiss at him again. Her voice was too low for me to hear, though I tried. I turned to the left and saw Emmett beaming at her with pride. He winked at me and signaled for me to stay quiet through the entire ordeal. I nodded and smirked. Apparently whatever this guy had done, he'd deserved it. I watched as his face paled and he nodded furiously, resulting in a genuine smile from the brunette as she released him. He scuttled away to the bathroom again, either out of fear or embarrassment, but I suspected the latter.

I watched her as she smoothed down her patterned dress and returned to pacing.

"I'm pretty sure Jasper told you not to make anyone cry today." Emmett boomed across the office. The brunette smiled largely and turned towards the sound of his voice.

"I would think that sexual assault serves as some sort of an exception to that particular instruction, don't you?" She quipped, still smiling and joining Emmett in his laughter.

Emmett winked at her, "The only one who was assaulted was Mike."

The brunette rolled her eyes at him. _At least she knows not to take Emmett seriously…_

"Oh, please. I hardly touched the guy. It's not my fault he wasn't adequately trained in hand-to-hand combat." She laughed. I swallowed roughtly.

_Hand to hand combat? What was this girl, G.I. Jane?_

"Bella, you and I both know that no amount of training could have prepared him for _that_. He didn't stand a chance!"

_Bella. Her name was Bella. It was so befitting…_ I missed her response because I was so absorbed in drinking in the fact that I now knew her name. Well, her first name, at least. That was a place to start.

"What? Oh, right." Emmett blushed, and Bella raised an eyebrow at him, obviously intrigued by his reaction. "Follow me." And with that, he led her down the back hallway towards where he had left Rosalie only minutes earlier. I was confused, but I thought that maybe she was a social worker and Rosalie was underage. Not that she looked underage…

I decided I had to take matters into my own hands. I walked casually towards the desk where the secretary, Jessica, had her face in a smut-filled two dollar romance novel.

I cleared my throat loudly, causing her to jump.

"Can I help you?" She blushed as she attempted to sneakily stow away the book she'd just been reading.

"Yes, could you tell me something?" I smiled at her, hoping to charm the answer out of her. She looked a bit dazed for a minute and then smiled back.

"Depends on what it is," she said throatily. I fought back the urge to vomit at her obvious flirtation, but I needed her help. I swallowed my pride.

I leaned forward towards her, her eyes widened slightly and she pushed her arms together in an attempt to puff up her chest.

"Could you tell me the name of that woman?" I asked sweetly, my face inches from the secretary's. I pointed towards the hallway where Bella and Emmett had just exited. The secretary's eyes narrowed.

"Oh her?" She sneered and took a particular interest in the current state of her finger nails, "That's Isabella Swan."

"Swan?" I pressed, was she related to my new boss?

"Yeah, she's the new D.A., the prosecutor. Emmett must have called her in on a case. Most likely that nutcase that was in here hollering just a little while ago…" Jessica continued to babble but I'd tuned her out.

Isabella _Swan_. As in Prosecutor Swan. _That_ was my mystery woman, who'd completely filled every thought I'd had all morning. _That_ was the person I'd been day-dreaming about.

I ran my fingers through my hair and swore loudly.

She's my fucking boss.

_Oh, Christ._

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since my last update, but we've had mid-terms and I'm crazy busy! **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**As always, read and review! I accept flames, anonymous reviews... basically anything! I would love some constructive criticism! **

xo auteurinconnu


	5. Chapter 5

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight. Duh.

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**Leash Laws**

Chapter 5

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**BPOV**

I took a tentative step into the room; Emmett wrapped a massive-overly muscled arm around my petite frame.

"Rose, this is Bella Swan" Emmett clarified, gesturing towards me with his other arm. Rose narrowed her eyes at me—clearly unhappy with the interaction between the two of them. I shrugged his arm off politely and cleared my throat.

"I thought you were a man." She spat at me. Her intense glare flickered between Emmett and I. He paled slightly with the realization of what Rose was thinking.

"Rosie," he pleaded quietly.

I chose a different avenue. I shrugged slightly while gesturing towards my chest, "Common mistake."

Rosalie snorted lightly but cracked a smirk. She appreciated my not being intimidated by the situation and acknowledged that I wasn't a threat in any manner. It was surprising to me how quickly the tension dissipated from the room. Rose locked eyes with Emmett and I all but disappeared. I silently gave them their moment and took the opportunity to perform what I hoped was an undetected injury assessment on Rosalie before Carlisle came in to perform a full medical examination.

I mentally made a checklist of everything that looked to be out of place.

_Dress is torn, undergarments (eerily similar to those I was currently wearing) visible, but, thankfully, still intact (Emmett would disagree with that particular sentiment). Deep tissue bruising and several open cuts along exposed fore-arms. Clear signs of strangulation, visible evidence of beating—most likely with some sort of blunt object, perhaps a fist, across upper-chest and arms. One of her wrists is clearly out of place, either dislocated or broken…_

I did my best to remain critical in the rest of my observations, but it hit too close to home. I struggled to keep a smooth and emotionless façade as my eyes continued to scan her perfect figure. I slowly raised my gaze to her face and was surprised to see her staring at me intently.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." She said softly, but her eyes were hard and immediately lowered to the table in front of her and she watched her fingers trace patterns on the smooth stainless steel surface.

She was embarrassed.

I turned towards the door and whispered for Quil to retrieve a blanket for her. She didn't say anything but looked a bit more at ease. I could only assume that Emmett had said something to her to help her relax.

I said the first thing that came to mind.

"I didn't mean to stare." I blushed furiously, Emmett snickered. She shot him a look then returned here eyes to me. They were amused.

"Yes, you did. But it's ok. I look like hell. I'd be staring at me, too." She was looking at her reflection in the double-sided mirror as she spoke—frowning at her appearance. Emmett leaned down to whisper something in her ear and she smiled brightly. My self-esteem lowered by more than a few points. Even bruised, bloodied, and broken Rosalie looked like a super-model. It was borderline annoying.

"We are going to take pictures." I said quietly.

She looked down at the table. "I know."

I hurriedly crossed the room and took a seat opposite her at the table. I reached out and grabbed her good hand and squeezed slightly. I knew exactly what she was going through. I felt a strange sense of camaraderie with Rose—a bond that I shared with her that no one else would understand. I hoped she felt it, too.

"Rose, this is all happening really, really fast… and so soon afterwards…" Her eyes misted up a bit, "are you sure you're ok?" Her gaze hardened, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

_Obviously, not the right thing to say. _

"Just tell me what I fucking need to do."

_Then again…_

I couldn't help but smile at her determination. Emmett was beaming at her courage as he placed a meaty hand on her shoulder—she visibly relaxed into his grip—only to squeak and jump in response to a knock at the door. I squeezed her hand gently again before rising from my place.

"It's ok, it's Carlisle."

I crossed the room quickly and opened the door. I smiled softly at my old friend as he entered with medical bag in tow. He was looking at me with concern, but I shook my head. I didn't need his help today, Rosalie did. I heard Carlisle introduce himself to her and explain what it was that he needed to do. She nodded silently.

Emmett exchanged a look with me. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew he couldn't stay for this. I looked over at Rose, who was actively wringing her hands and looking at the floor—seemingly smaller than she was not more than five minutes ago.

_She looks terrified._

I immediately whipped out my phone and texted Alice, the only person who could provide for me the comfort that Rose so desperately needed right now.

_"Duke. NOW."_

I put my phone back in my pocket and looked over at Emmett. He was now sitting with Rosalie on his lap, running his hand in small circles on her lower back. She was crying. My phone buzzed in my pocket.

_"ETA 3 min"_ was Alice's reply. I breathed a sigh of relief. Simply knowing that Duke was nearby made me relax. He was my best friend, my confidant, my everything. I looked back at the crying Rose. If anyone could help Rosalie through this nightmare, I knew it was him. While reliving all of this again was undeniably painful, she needed him more.

"I don't know where to go from here, Emmett," Rose whispered, "I'm… I'm scared." She sounded ashamed of her fear, even though it was justified. Emmett's arms wrapped around her completely, enveloping her in what little comfort he could provide her from her own memories. She sank into his embrace.

"I'll take care of you, Rose."

I looked away from their private moment and ambled over to where Carlisle was preparing his medical instruments for his examination. Rosalie had denied wanting to be admitted to a hospital, and Carlisle had agreed to complete the examination here. He was filling out pre-exam paperwork. He stopped working when he heard me approach.

"Bella," I heard him sigh.

I put my hand up, knowing what he was concerned about. "Your main concern right now is Rose. Not me. I need you to do this."

His mouth was set into a thin line out of frustration, but he nodded.

There was another knock at the door, this time, fast-paced; almost inhumanly so.

Alice.

I opened the door and immediately dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around Duke. He whined softly. Tears sprang to my eyes. I forced them back.

"Not now," I whispered, "She needs you." I pointed towards Rosalie, who was looking at me with a bewildered expression on her face. Duke whined again and placed a 'kiss' on my forehead before ambling over to Emmett, looking back at me all the way. I shook my head and pointed at Rose again. She looked even more confused than before, if it was possible.

Emmett's voice filled the space, "Duke, meet Rosalie. Rosalie, meet Duke!" Duke's tail wagged happily and I smiled. Emmett placed his hand on the black and white scruff of his neck. Duke took a hestitant step towards Rosalie, she froze, Duke stopped. Her eyes flickered from me, to Duke, to Emmett multiple times. Carlisle chuckled.

"He's my dog," I explained.

"That," she gestured towards my massive best friend, "is _not_ a Dog. It's a bear."

Duke barked lightly in protest of the pseudo-insult, making Rosalie jump a good two feet in the air.

Emmett burst into hysterical fits of laughter at the expression on her face, earning him a nasty glare. Duke, while Rosalie was preoccupied with being angry with Emmett, walked right up to her and placed a 'kiss' on her arm. She jumped again, this time a little less violently, but when she saw the look on Duke's face, I knew she was sold. Those big blue eyes couldn't be resisted by anyone.

_Well, anyone but Alice._

"It's silly, but I thought you could use a friend, since neither Emmett nor I could be with you during your exam," She was looking at me in surprise, with one hand planted firmly on Duke's head. I looked down at the floor, slightly embarrassed, "He's my best friend. I just knew he could help." I added quietly. Emmett's hands were still around her shoulders, and there were tears in her eyes. Without warning, Rose shot forward and wrapped her arms around me. I paused, stunned momentarily, before wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Thank you," she whispered, releasing me. I merely nodded in response. She walked back over to where Emmett was standing, equally as shocked as I felt, and Duke rushed towards me. He looked nervous.

"I'm fine, you big blockhead," I said. He quipped his head to the side in concern. I wondered why. I lowered myself to my knees again and grabbed a hold of both sides of his head in my hands. "Seriously." He licked my face; I giggled and ran my hand over my cheek.

_Oh, I was crying._

I hastily wiped away the traitor tears and stood up, kissed his head, and pointed at Rose. "You know what to do." I said to Duke. He whined at me, again out of concern, but followed orders. He wagged his tail when he reached her, and she smiled and petted his large head.

"Take care of her," Emmett whispered warningly at him. Rose smirked, and Duke nodded, his humanity surprising me yet again. I turned and walked out of the room, leaving Carlisle to his examination. Emmett followed suit shortly there-after, looking glum.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine, Em."

His eyes met mine. "I know, Bella. But will you?"

I wasn't sure.

Damn, he knew me too well. I decided to change the subject. "I think she needs a change of clothes. Do you have anything in your locker she could take? We'll need what she's currently wearing as evidence."

Emmett's face brightened at the prospect of helping Rose.

Subject successfully avoided. I smiled at my victory.

"Thanks, Bella!" He took off down the hallway.

I sighed heavily and leaned my head against the interrogation room door. I had about an hour to kill until Rose would be ready for questioning, and I needed something to do. Something to distract myself.

Damnit, why had I finished that paperwork?

I began pacing in front of the interrogation room.

"You do that a lot, don't you?" a smooth voice asked.

"Oh!" I whirled around to face whoever it was that was speaking to me. He was seated in a chair just down the hall from the interrogation room. I briefly wondered how he got there, and where Quil was.

"Quil asked me to take watch. He had to head home—family emergency." Well, that answers that question.

I took a step forward to get a better look at this guy. I was suspicious, to say the least. He leaned forward slightly and my breath caught in my throat. I didn't think it was possible for a man to be beautiful, but this guy was. He had disheveled bronze hair that looked like it was fresh from a romp in the sheets.

_Sex hair, nice._

Wait, what?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and continued to assess him. He had smooth, pale skin and vibrant green eyes. They were light, but deep, very pensive. I'd never seen anything like them before. They merely enhanced his attractiveness.

_Was that possible?_

His chin was somewhat squared, and strong, and his brow was furrowed in thought. I continued to gaze at him curiously. I wondered if he was doing the same. His form was long, but lean. He was tall, though I couldn't say how tall because he was seated. He was toned, wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans that hugged his broad chest and shoulders.

_Must work out. I wonder if he runs? He's got runner's legs…_

His voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"You can relax you know, I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was nothing less than sincere. It made my legs feel like jelly.

_What the hell?_

"Seriously, calm down." He said again. "I saw you attack that man earlier, and as much as I'd appreciate a repeat performance, I'd rather not be your test dummy." He chuckled musically, and I had to remind myself to breathe.

_Who the hell was this guy?_

I hadn't realized I was tense. I let out a breath and unclenched my fists. I took a step backwards and resumed my pacing. Hopefully it would help me clear my head. I went over a mental checklist in my head of the things I needed to get done one I had Rosalie's testimony.

_Create file, fill out necessary paperwork, notify the team—get two of the interns to put together a case report—and assign positions. Review Carlisle's injury assessment, make sure he's filled out the required paperwork, and get hold of the new guy… what's his name? Edmund? Get him up to speed and on the case, he's supposed to be good… came highly recommended…_

"You didn't answer my question." The stranger's thoughts brought me out of my revere. I couldn't help but be slightly annoyed. I ignored him. I had things to accomplish.

He cleared his throat loudly. I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily.

"What do you want?" I asked, only half paying attention as I was still mulling over everything that needed to be done that afternoon. Emmett's bar-b-que would have to wait.

"I want you to answer my question," He replied. I could hear the amusement in his tone.

"Fine," I huffed, still pacing, "what's your damn question?"

"Do you always do that?" He inquired. I turned to look at him as I paced. His question confused me.

"Do what? Pace? Yeah. Helps me clear my thoughts." Now he was the one to look confused.

"No, not the pacing, the self-sacrificing. Is that a habit of yours?" He asked. I froze. How had he caught that one?

_What should I say, yes? _

I decided on denial.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I resumed my pacing, hoping to block him out.

"You don't like to show weakness." It wasn't a question. I glared, and then continued in studiously ignoring him. Not that it was possible. I was inexplicably drawn to him. I tugged uncomfortably with the hem of my dress, suddenly wishing it was longer. I fought my baser instincts to throw myself at him and kept pacing.

"Interesting." He mused aloud. My frustration was building. I gave myself another three minutes before I lost my temper. It was a problem of mine, and now that I was a black-belt, I felt much more comfortable in asserting myself—especially when it came to the opposite sex.

"Hmph" was my brilliant response. I heard him laugh.

"Do you cry a lot, or just here?" He asked arrogantly. There was no curiosity in his tone, and given that he'd seen the exchange earlier, I knew that he was trying to push my buttons. I had to double my efforts in ignoring him.

_He saw me earlier; did this guy have a death wish?_

"And a dress? Really?"

_Think of happy places, Bella. Happy places will calm you down. Tahiti, Turks and Caicos…_

"What's with the dog?" My efforts quadrupled.

_…Bermuda, I really loved the beaches there… great for reading…_

"He's not a person, you know. He's an animal." My nostrils flared. I paused. I shut my eyes and continued pacing.

_… Disney land… the happiest fucking place on earth…_

"He's just a dumb mutt."

_Oh, fuck it._

I wheeled around and slapped him clear across the face. An audible "WHACK" echoed in the hallway. He smirked, and I was enraged. I raised my left arm to hit him, but he caught my hand, his eyes glittering with excitement. He looked… turned on. I hesitated a moment, unable to decide what I wanted to do with this newfound information and quickly found myself pressed flush against the concrete wall. His every line was taught against mine. His eyes were still even with my own. I was shocked and flustered, he looked smug. I was pissed. I pushed my foot up the inside of his leg and hit the back of his knee-cap with my heel, sending us both flying to the floor with a loud thud. I heard Duke growl from inside the interrogation room. I whistled to shut him up. This was my problem to deal with, not his. I heard him growl again.

This mystery man and I were now lying on the floor, him on top of me. For some reason, I knew I wasn't in danger, but that didn't mean that I had to like that I wasn't in control. I was vulnerable in this position. He knew that. He smirked at me again.

_That mother fu—he was still pushing my buttons! _

I decided to play along. If he wanted to make this a game, I would most certainly be a participating member. It would be a game I would win. Unfortunately, my legs were between his, giving him the advantage. I had to change this factor, and fast.

_Think Bella, damnit, think! How can I… oh. OH. _

I winked at him, and his eyes widened in response. I was madder than hell, but he didn't need to know that. I wiggled my hips against his and he visibly blanched. He took his weight off of me. It wasn't much, but it was definitely enough. His hands were still holding mine in place, so I wiggled my hips again and got one leg up over his. He gulped. I smiled. His stance shifted, giving me the space I needed to get my other leg around his. I was now straddling him. Perfect.

_In more ways than one…_

Holy crap! What was happening to me? I was _not_ that kind of girl. The fact that this guy, whoever it was, made me feel like that made me even angrier.

I leaned forward, giving him a good view of my chest (though that wasn't my intent, but it certainly worked to my advantage) and whispered as huskily as possible into his ear: "I don't appreciate being you little science project." He pulled away and looked at me, confused. I smiled as innocently as possible. He furrowed his brows at me, and I watched smugly as realization dawned on him just a moment too late.

I wrenched one of my legs up and placed my foot square against his hip, using it as leverage to raise myself to my feet in a low squat. He still held my hands and it was clear from the look on his face that he thought it would be a contributing factor in this dance we were having. It wasn't. I switched my weight to my opposite leg and placed my knee directly to his nose. I was satisfied when I heard a crunch. His hands released my wrists immediately.

"Oh, Christ!" The man yelled. He rolled around on the floor in pain.

Emmett's booming laughter filled the hallway from behind me. I turned to find him doubled over after having watched our exchange. Tears of mirth were pouring down his face. Simultaneously, the door to the interrogation room opened to my right, where a very worried Carlisle let a very anxious Duke into the hallway. Duke immediately went to me, to check me for injuries, and then sauntered over to the irritating stranger I'd incapacitated. He sat down beside him and just looked at him. It was almost as if he was saying "I told you so." This was new.

Emmett was still doubled over in hysterics. Carlisle walked over to him and grabbed the sweats from his free hand, as the other one was repeatedly hitting the industrially carpeted floor in an attempt to channel his amusement else-where. Carlisle went back into the interrogation room and shut the door, but not before shooting me a pointed look.

I shrugged and crossed my arms across my chest, mouthing "what?" innocently. He merely shook his head and closed the door. He returned a few moments later with some gauze, antiseptic, and what looked like pain-killers.

"What did you do to him?" His tone was patronizing.

"I kneed him in the nose."

If it was possible, Emmett's laughter intensified. Rosalie opened the door to the interrogation room to see what was going on. Her apparent confusion only made Emmett laugh even harder. He was still on his knees hitting the floor.

"I don't even want to know why." Carlisle said before kneeling next the source of my irritation and helping him clean up.

"I'll—I'll tell y-you wh-why" Emmett managed to spit out in between gasps of air, "He t-th-thought he c-could ch-charm the pants off-ff h-h-her!" It was all he managed to get out before bursting into uncontrollable laughter again.

Rosalie frowned, but I sent her a reassuring smile. I gestured to the man Carlisle was helping to bandage. "He obviously didn't get very far."

This made Rosalie smile. "I can see that," but frowned slightly afterwards. I turned my attention to Carlisle.

After finishing up with my mystery man, he had re-entered the interrogation room to gather the rest of his medical supplies. He notified me that He would leave the completed report on Emmett's desk. I thanked him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back to Emmet, Rosalie, and the man I'd assaulted.

I turned my attention back to Rosalie, who was frowning again. She looked sad. "Do you… do you think you could teach me... you know, how to do that?" She asked timidly.

I beamed at her and grabbed her good hand. "I would love to." Rosalie smiled and walked over to Emmett, who had sobered up significantly when he heard Rose's inquiry. A few giggles still escaped him despite his efforts. He turned towards his now cleaned up, albeit bruised, friend.

"Well, Edward," he snickered again, "That certainly didn't go as planned."

That got my attention.

"You _planned_ that?" I asked incredulously.

He scoffed as he sat up from lying down on the floor. "Hardly."

"Then what the hell was that?" I accused.

"I was _trying_ to figure you out. Clearly, I failed." He sighed and gestured towards his nose.

"It's not like you didn't deserve it." I huffed.

"I never said I didn't."

Well, that was unexpected. "Hm." It was all I could think of in response. I was still a bit perturbed, I mean, who the hell did he think he was, toying with me like that? It was beyond reprehensible. I was a person, not a play-thing. Duke walked towards me and huffed lightly. His eyes went from me to him.

"UNBELEIVEABLE! You willingly piss me off and then you brainwash my 'dumb mutt!'" I shrieked. Duke huffed at the insult. "He said it!" I cried, pointing at the man who was climbing to his feet who was smiling sheepishly.

"I've met him before."

"Oh, and so now you're buddies?!" I couldn't believe it! Duped by my own dog!

"We reached an… agreement… of sorts."

My mouth dropped open. It took me a minute or two to gather my composure at the obvious betrayal. I turned towards my ex-best friend.

"Traitor!" Duke's ears flattened against his head. He didn't like it when I was angry with him, and it didn't happen very often. His eyes pleaded with mine. "You're taking his side!" Duke rolled his eyes at me. I huffed indignantly and turned my back on him. He whined.

"I'm Edward, by the way."

"Right now, I really don't care." I was being immature and I knew it. But I was mad.

"I really am sorry for being an ass." He was pleading with me.

_After you broke his nose?_

I pushed that thought out of my mind. No need feeling guilty. He deserved it, and that was that.

"Please tell me you forgive me."

I really didn't want to.

"I can't leave her until you do, and I'm fairly positive you have testimony you need to acquire." He smiled smugly.

Damn! He was right. I rolled my eyes.

"You're impossible."

"Actually, I'm Edward." He smiled brightly, and I couldn't help but smile with him. He was so beautiful (bruises and all) it almost hurt.

"Bella." I replied. If it was possible, his smile widened. He leaned down and kissed my hand. I blushed furiously.

"Fino al prossimo tempo, Bella." And with that, he walked away, petting Duke on the head as he went.

I didn't know what he said, but I didn't miss the double meaning. He had called me "beautiful." I could have died.

Duke pressed a 'kiss' into my arm. His eyes went from Edward's retreating form back to me. He looked… excited.

"Whatever you're thinking, no." He whined.

I could have sworn I heard Edward's musical laughter as I opened the door to the interrogation room.

I closed the door behind me, sat in front of Rosalie, and took a deep breath. "You asked for me to tell you what to do?" Rose nodded.

"You can tell me everything."

* * *

**Ok Guys, sorry about the false alarm earlier! My computer won't allow me to save any of my documents on Microsoft Word and I couldn't figure out how to upload this stupid chapter. It was so unbelievably frustrating! I'm sorry to have teased you earlier, but it was all I could do not to throw my computer across the room.**

**I've got most of the next chapter already written. When my writer's block broke... it broke big time! Please, please, PLEASE Let me know what you think! I love hearing your feedback!**

**As always, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**Enjoy!**

xo auteurinconnu


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